Last year, around Christmas, I discovered Portland, Oregon’s elusive Santasquatch. And this year? The Octicorn–plus five more reasons to visit Portland. Drink some beer. Did you know that Portland has more breweries than any other city in the world? Widmer. Hopworks. McMenamins. Laurelwood. Hair of the Dog. Base Camp. If beer isn’t your thing, Portland […]
ice cream
Her first library card
Who’s got her own library card? Little Bird! Earlier this week, the two of us went on an excursion to Seattle Public Library’s Madrona Branch to get our cards. Library cards have certainly changed since the time I had my last card. For one, you can choose the design on your card: Pike Place Market, […]
Bay Laurel Ice Cream Recipe
I was intrigued when I saw it on the menu at Marjorie Restaurant in Seattle: Bay Laurel Ice Cream. Just like the sage, thyme and lemon verbena ice creams I’ve made from herbs grown in our garden, I imagined how bay leaves, typically used as an aromatic or as a savory ingredient in soups […]
Soergel Orchards and Country Store in Wexford, PA
When Big Papa was a little boy, he would go with his family to Soergel’s roadside stand for fresh-picked fruits and vegetables. On several of our trips to visit his family in the Pittsburgh area, we’ve stopped at Soergel’s, even though its days of being a small roadside stand have long passed. Soergel’s is over […]
Newly minted: Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
When I was a little girl, my two favorite flavors of ice cream were coffee (I was destined for Seattle) and mint chocolate chip. So when I asked our cousins which flavor ice cream they’d like me to make for an upcoming Dad and son birthday party (yes, both born on the same date), I […]
Friendship Swirl: Honey ice cream with Blackberry-vanilla jam
In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. ~Kahlil Gibran Recently, I’ve spent a few sunny afternoons in our garden with friends. Sitting together and feeling the warmth on our shoulders, sipping a glass of […]
Luscious lemon popsicles
Give me a pint of cream, a cup of sugar, a few eggs and any random assortment of fresh herbs or fruit, and the next thing you know I’ll be whipping up a batch of ice cream. Over the past couple years I’ve occasionally blogged about the ice creamy goodness concocted in our kitchen: Honey […]
A picture is worth a thousand words: Food in Armenia
Traveling in Armenia is a feast for the senses, particularly where food is involved. Dolma, kufta, amazing yogurt and ice cream…and of course, Pakhlava (which many other countries call Bakhlava)! Here are a few pictures of delicious treats I enjoyed on my visits to Armenia. Delicious Armenian dolma Sweet fruit leather Lamajoun Armenian Pizza: lamb […]
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Big Papa has a picture of me sitting on his desk that was taken during my college days, back in the late-1970s. In it, I’m barefoot and wearing an Indian-printed skirt, long dark hair flowing over my shoulders. I was a hippie chick, no doubt about it. A vegetarian who didn’t wear leather, I recycled, […]
A rose by any other name never tasted so sweet
Homemade ice cream is one of my “signature dishes.” Over the years I’ve brought quarts upon quarts of ice cream to potlucks, enough that I’ve (no modesty here) developed a stellar reputation amongst my friends for my ability to prepare this sinful (read: heavy cream, sugar, eggs) treat. My “specialty” is making ice cream using […]